Need A Vacation
by CUtopia
Summary: What teachers do when the students go crazy...


Entry for the "Essie Nail Polish Names Challenge" - **"Need a Vacation"**

I hope you enjoy this one :)

* * *

Severus Snape was sitting in his favourite armchair in the Staff Room and read a book about rare potions, enjoying the silence as all the other teachers had lessons right now. His day had been... well, horribly was a understatement. At some point he had simply stopped to count the number of cauldrons that had exploded due to a incompetent student, even his N.E.W.T. students had nearly destroyed the whole class room. And now, now he just tried to come down again – otherwise he would kill the next student that dared to attempt to brew a potion. Well, his nerves were _slightly_ strained and as he realised that his coffee, the only thing that held him back from going over the edge, was cold and bitter right now, his outburst became unpreventable.

If nobody had entered the room everything would have been pretty safe, but unfortunately the door opened and the unlucky person came into the staff room. He did not made any effort to listen who the person was as she or he started to talk:"Severus..."

"GO AWAY! Can´t one have some time on his own, I am not in the mood for any unimportant chitty chatty things, I simply want to be left alone!", he screamed and jumped out of his armchair, his book falling to the floor as he turned to face the person, his most dangerous glance in his eyes, his cloaks as always billowing around him.

"No need to scream at me", answered Rolanda in a exhausted and subdued voice, her golden eyes filling with tears. "Why do you always have to be so mean? You are not the only one having a hard day!"

And then, the tough and strong Rolanda Hooch, the only human being daring to challenge with Severus, started to sob heavily, burying her face in her hands as she sank onto the next couch. Severus was stunned in surprise and immediately regretted that he had screamed at her as if it was her fault that the students had gone insane. He gulped and helplessly patted her shoulder, murmuring:"I am sorry, Rolanda, I... I did not mean to... oh, please stop crying!"

"It´s... it´s only that... I had a horrible day...", Rolanda sobbed and started to wipe the tears away, smearing her make-up over her face in the process. "They... the students are... mad!"

"All in all this would not be something new, but I observed that they reached a new level of...", Severus said dryly, but Rolanda blurted out, finishing his sentence.

"Destruction!"

"Right. I did stop counting. Well, at least the cauldron were the students properties!"

He shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to her, but nearly jumped again as she glared at him with a death expression.

"These were school brooms! New ones! And they set them on fire! Every single one of them! How am I going to explain that to Albus, huh?!", she hissed in a aggressive tone.

"Oh", Severus simply mouthed, then they continued to sit there in silence, staring at the flames that made the wood in the fireplace crackle. As the rain started to pat against the windows in thick streams, Rolanda jumped energetically from her sitting place and turned to face Severus. She pointed to the window, bleating:"This is making me crazy! The weather is horrible and the students are more destructive then productive! I cannot stand this anymore! I need a damn vacation!"

"Vacation? We are in the middle of the school term", Severus said weakly, but it already dawned him that it would be wasted time and energy to try to talk Rolanda out of the idea that was rapidly growing in her mind. She started to grin, then her slender but strong fingers closed around his wrist and she pulled him up.

"Come on! I am sure you would like that, too! Imagine a wonderful quiet beach, clear water, sunshine, warmth, a good book and a tasty cocktail with a lot of alcohol to forget the damn brats!", she said, her golden eyes already twinkling. She went over to the fireplace and grabbed some of the emergency floo powder and threw it into the flames just as the door opened and Albus Dumbledore entered.

"Where are you two going? Has something happened?", the headmaster asked surprised as he saw them.

"Students have happened! We are going, Albus!", Rolanda said and pulled Severus with her as she stepped into the fireplace. Albus eyes grew bigger and he screamed over the roaring flames:"Where?"

"Vacation!", Rolanda answered with a wide grin, then she gave the name of a place to the flames and they disappeared, leaving Albus Dumbledore, one of the greatest wizards of the century, standing there, staring open-mouthed at the fireplace.

* * *

"Usually I don´t appreciate your impulsive behaviour... but now I must say that I really needed that", Severus said and took a sip of his San Francisco cocktail. They sat on a small landing stage, their feet in the warm and salty water of the Mediterranean Sea and a cocktail in hand, both wearing loose clothes now.

"Sometimes you simply have to let me act, cauldron boy! And now be quiet, I want to relax!", Rolanda answered, her eyes closed as she held her face into the sun and a satisfied sigh escaped her lips. "And don´t you dare to think what Albus must be doing right now! Let the old man be, we can deal with that when we are back in Hogwarts."

It had been as if she had read Severus mind – he would have asked her about Albus a few seconds later.

"Sometimes you are kinda scaring me, Ro", he murmured as he closed his eyes as well, happy about their escape, but before he could completely enjoy these paradisical conditions he allowed himself another short thought about the headmaster, but then he finally leaned back a bit, his free hand brushing against Rolandas and he smiled to himself that she did not pull away as his fingers shyly moved over the back of her hand.

* * *

Back at Hogwarts Minerva McGonagall entered the staff room and wondered about Albus standing in the middle of the room, staring at the fireplace with a shocked expression.

"Albus, is everything alright? You look as if you saw a ghost!", she asked him a bit concerned. Slowly Albus turned to her and started to smile a little bit at the sight of Minerva.

"You would not believe it if I told you, my dear. But have you already thought about a small vacation?"


End file.
